Two years ago when my brothers went to university, my parents spent days visiting various shops, paying a fortune to equip their sons for that first year away. This year it was my turn, and in the hope of saving some time and money we decided to try the Unisak.

The Unisak costs £149.99 and confidently claims to contain everything you need for your first year in student accommodation. What's more, it claims to do it for a cheaper price than anywhere else. On the list there are items ranging from shot glasses to chopsticks, duvets to toothbrushes.

Rather than take the risk of finding out it didn't live up to its promises once it was too late, I opened it at home first.

At first glance it seemed that it did indeed contain everything. You get a plate, mug, bowl and glass; good non-stick pans of three different sizes; all the cooking implements you could ever need. The bedroom gear is also all there: pillows and pillowcases, duvet and duvet cover. Pens, pencils and workbooks are included too.

The problem of the Unisak, then, is not one of quantity. Rather it is the quality I found to be sorely lacking. The dinnerware is plastic. Practical, perhaps - it's harder to smash - but who wants to eat off a plastic plate everyday? Even students have standards.

When I went to put on my duvet cover, I found it may as well have been made from paper and went straight out to buy a new one. On attempting to highlight something in my diary using the Unisak highlighters, I discovered they had already run out of ink.

If you want the ease of everything being in one place and are not too bothered about quality, the Unisak is for you. If not, you'll be pleased to hear you can get everything in the pack in Ikea for around £180, which is only slightly more expensive.

What items did you find most useful in your first year of living independently? Corkscrews and toasters go without saying - did you find any more unlikely homewares indispensable?